Hurst Castle is a major historical landmark dominating the landscape sited at Milford on Sea – directly opposite Colwell Bay. The fort was initially built by Henry VIII between 1541 – 1544 to guard the Solent. The distance between the Island and the mainland is at its narrowest point and as such both locations are used frequently for organised cross solent swims.
Collapse due to Coastal Erosion
On Friday 26 February 2021 a section of the 19th Century wall on the eastern side collapsed. English Heritage stated that pre-emptive work was due to start on stabilising the foundations until a storm on the 23 February 2021 attacked the foundations and caused the rapid collapse of the wall before any work could start.
BBC News Article
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-56222543
The Future of Hurst Spit
The Solent Protection Society has an interesting paper written by coastal engineer, Tim Kermode on the evolution of the Hurst Spit and what the future might hold for the Spit and Hurst Castle:
https://solentprotection.org/2021/03/05/hurst-castle-collapse-the-bigger-picture/
Hurst Castle: https://www.hurstcastle.co.uk
English Heritage: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/hurst-castle/